7 Days In Arts

Gene Simmons, Bob Dylan, the Beastie Boys and Susanna
Hoffs are proof positive that Jews know how to rock. Enter Belgium-born vocalist
Lucy Levinsohn and Jersey girl vocalist/keyboardist Dina Torok, members of
Lily's Siren, a five-member, female-led group that won Rock City News' vote for
Best Modern Pop Band in 2000. Called a cross between Nirvana and Fleetwood Mac,
Lily's Siren did an acclaimed tribute to ABBA last year. Tonight, they perform
at Chain Reaction in Anaheim and on Saturday, September 29 at The Gig in
Hollywood. $5 (prepaid tickets); $7 (at the door). For tickets or more
information, visitwww.lilyssiren.com

26/Sunday

When nine year-old Eliza Naumann wins her fourth grade
class spelling bee, she shatters her parents' image of her as a disappointment
in Myla Goldberg's "Bee Season." Her success culminates as she is picked for the
national spelling bee competition, portraying an intimate look at her family
dynamics. Through the obssessive compulsive antics of her mother, her devout
kabbalist father and extremely introverted brother, the novel proves that
there's no such thing as a normal family. Besides being a writer, Goldberg is
involved with foreign and independent film and an acclaimed accordian, banjo and
flute player. Today, her dramatic account of a Jewish family will be presented.
4 p.m. Congregation Beth Chayim, 6000 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. For more
information, call (323) 931-7023.

Catching up on summer reading is one of the best ways
to spend a relaxing weeknight. In "Too Many Men" ($25, Harper Collins
Publishers), Australian writer Lily Brett's latest novel, Ruth Rothwax, a
successful New York businesswoman, is obsessed with returning to Poland with her
father. The daughter of Holocaust survivors, Brett began writing as a rock
journalist, profiling stars such as Sonny and Cher and Jimi Hendrix. This is the
fourth novel for Brett, who lives in New York City with her Australian
artist-husband and three children.

29/Wednesday

Veteran expressionist painter David Rosen was so
enamored with William Shakespeare's work that he decided to put one of the
playwright's legendary soliloquies on canvas. His love affair with art took him
from the Cooper Union Art School in New York in 1930 to his present exhibition
including the monochromatic "Hamlet's To Be Or Not to Be" along with 23 of his
most powerful works. Gallery hours: Wed.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sun., 11
a.m.-5 p.m. Howell Green Fine Art Gallery, 120 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Pine
Tree Circle, No. 107, Woodland Hills. For more information, call (310) 455-3991.

30/Thursday

Israeli bassist Avishai Cohen believes in "the big
picture." This vision drove him from his early days of piano playing to his
current trademark, the double acoustic bass. He was so dedicated to his music,
that he abandoned the Israeli army to play it. Inspired by the legendary sounds
of Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, Cohen, now a member of
"Adama," combines jazz with the traditional Israeli music. with which he was
raised. The result is a performance tonight with The International Vamp Band.
The band adds multicultural flavor to the Sunset Concert series with Yagil Baras
on bass, Antonio Sanchez on drums, Yosvany Terry on saxophone, Avi Lebovich on
trombone and Argentinean Diego Urcola on trumpet. 7:30 p.m. Skirball Cultural
Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. For more information, call (310)
440-4500.

31/Friday

Spiked. Long. Green. Curly. Regardless of the look,
many women have a strong, and sometimes strange, affinity for their hair.
Tonight, in "Hair Pieces: By Women, About Hair," a multicultural group of female
playwrights, from Jewish to Latina, have joined to express the significance of
hair in a woman's life. Sponsored by the Jewish Women's Theatre Project, the
collection of short plays are a part of the New Works Festival, a series of
dramas and comedies including "Direct From Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys" at
the Fountain Theatre. $20 (general admission). Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.
and 7 p.m. Through Sept. 16. Hudson Mainstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd.,
Hollywood. For reservations or more information, call (323) 663-1525.

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